I Am A Real Runner
Battling the Pinocchio Effect
Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies, and by sometimes, I mean often, and by we, I mean “me.” I have concluded that I know that many struggles we face as runners (substitute “runner” with all sorts of substitutes such as writer, student, artist, etc.) are examples of the so-called “imposter syndrome.” We can not possibly be a “real runner” or a “real writer” until we meet specific requirements.
Many of us are familiar with the story of Pinocchio. So many scholarly reviews of the many adaptations of the story go beyond this post’s scope. However, a quick story overview is helpful in and outside our “running lives.”
I was first introduced to the story of Pinocchio from the 1940 classic Disney cartoon. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet and not “a real boy.” When he meets the blue fairy, she explains he cannot become a real boy until he meets the requirements of being “brave, truthful, and unselfish.” Of course, in the story Pinocchio, he desires to become a real boy, not just a puppet. He must develop a conscience.
He quickly finds himself in trouble as his “guides” Gepetto; the kindly toymaker is forgetful, Jiminy Cricket is not very…
